1st Battalion - 77th Armor Regiment
"Steel Tigers"
1-77 Armor is a forward stationed Armor Battalion within the 2nd Dagger Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. Located in the southern German state of Bavaria, Schweinfurt is home to the Steel Tiger Battalion.
The First Battalion, Seventy-Seventh Armor was born on 13 January 1941, when Company A, 73rd Tank Battalion was constituted in the regular Army of the United States. after Company A, 73rd Tank Battalion was activated, it was redesignated on the eighth of may 1941 as company A, 753rd Tank Battalion and would continue under this designation throughout World War II without another designation change. The company itself was activated at Fort Knox, Kentucky, home of the armor center, where it was manned, equipped and trained.
The unit first saw action in Sicily and later fought with it's battalion in support of regiments during the assault landing of southern France. During WWII, the unit participated in seven campaigns including: Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe.
Company A, 753rd tank battalion was subsequently inactivated at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia on 9 January 1946. Less than one year later the unit was again activated at Fort Knox, Kentucky, home of the Armor Center, on 1 august 1946. The battalion was again inactivated at Fort Knox, Kentucky on 15 October 1946.On 20 march 1949 was the first designation involving the number 77 when the company was redesignated as Company A, 77th Heavy Tank Battalion, as an element of the 7th Infantry Division. The unit was activated in Japan. The unit was again reorganized and redesignated on 5 august 1950 as company A, 77th tank battalion. During its tour with the 7th Infantry Division in Korea the unit served in six campaigns, twice receiving the Korean presidential unit citation. The unit was later inactivated on 10 November 1951 in Korea and relieved from assignment to the 7th Infantry Division.
The unit was once again redesignated on 19 February 1962 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 77th Armor, assigned to the 5th Infantry Division, and activated at Fort Carson, Colorado, and its organic elements were concurrently constituted and activated.
The unit fought in Vietnam with the 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division. the unit moved with its brigade a few miles south of the DMZ to the Quang Tri area for search and clear, cordon and sweep operations. From time to time it became involved within 3d Marine Division operations on the Khe Sanh plains and up to the vicinity of the DMZ with the US Marines. In total, the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor participated in eight campaigns during its tour in Vietnam. The unit was relieved from assignment to the 5th Infantry Division and reassigned to the 4th Infantry Division on 21 march 1973. The unit was later inactivated on 15 December 1989 at Fort Carson, Colorado.
In the winter of 1996, the Victory Division gyroscoped to Germany leaving Fort Riley, Kansas on the 15th of February. the "Steel Tiger" battalion, as it is known today, was again activated as part of the "Big Red One" division on 5 April 1996.
